This stretch of the Jacks Fork River is east of Eminence and in the closed Ozark National Scenic Riverways. / News-Leader file photo

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The Ozark National Scenic Riverways clarified its position about whether people are allowed to float on the Current and Jacks Fork rivers that flow through park property closed by the government shutdown.

On Thursday, Riverways Superintendent Bill Black said the U.S. Solicitor General’s office in Washington, D.C. has ruled that boaters — including those in kayaks and canoes — can float through the parks as long as they don’t set foot on closed park property, including gravel bars in the riverway.

“The park is still closed, the canoe liveries on the rivers are closed and our facilities are barricaded,” Black said. “But our Solicitor advised us that the river throughways wouldn’t be closed to boaters. You can’t launch your boats from park property but there are places at Eminence and Van Buren and along some county roads where you could put in.”

On Oct. 1, Riverways officials announced the park would be closed because of the nationwide shutdown. A Riverways spokesperson indicated the rivers within the park would be closed to floating, and that people who were discovered on the rivers would be asked to leave. Complicating matters is the fact that there are sections of the Jacks Fork and Current River popular with floaters that aren’t within park boundaries.

Canoe outfitter companies with permits from the Riverways agency also said they were told they could not put any canoes, kayaks or other boats on the rivers during the shutdown.

On Thursday, Black emphasized that the riverways remain open to boaters as long as they stay on the water and don’t try to access any park property, such as campgrounds, restrooms or gravel bars.

“Gravel bars are considered part of the land, and if we encountered people on them we would ask them to move along,” Black said.

Difficult to get emergency help

He also stressed that, because of the government shutdown, anyone who got into trouble on the river might find it difficult to obtain emergency services from the few park rangers still on duty to protect park property.

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“We are operating with limited resources and if you do decide to go on the river, take extra precautions and safety equipment with you,” Black advised.

Kally Coleman, spokeswoman for the nonprofit Friends of Ozark Riverways, said she was glad to hear of the Riverways change in policy.

“We questioned the ability of the National Park Service to close the river itself and were glad to see they contacted the solicitor to clear up that piece of the closure,” Coleman said in an electronic message to the News-Leader.

“No one wants to see our favorite National Park closed for any reason. Being from Van Buren, I fully understand the economic impacts this has on the local businesses along the Riverways, as well as the furloughed park service employees.

“It's our hope that everyone understands the employees of Ozark National Scenic Riverways are simply doing their job, without pay for now, and that they can be patient and empathize with the great undertaking of how to close a National Park that encompasses 134 miles of river. We urge our elected officials to resolve this impasse as quickly as possible so that our National Parks can be open for all to enjoy.”

Outfitters hurting

Richard Gilman, owner of Eminence Canoes, Cottages and Camps, said customers have canceled their reservations because they can’t float.

“We even had one small group that was coming in that had to cancel because the man in the group worked for a federal agency and wasn’t getting paid,” Gilman said.

Gillman said people could put their canoes in the river at private access points, but around his business, there aren’t any options.